Overboard **ON HOLD**
A Change In... Everything
"Elysha... Elysha." I felt a soft tapping on my shoulder and then a single drop of water hit my face. Is it raining?
"Huh?" I lifted up and realized I was sleeping... on Mr. Mali... er... Zayn's chest! "I'm so sorry! Did I fall asleep on our session?" I babbled, ignoring the rain.
"It's perfectly fine, love. You needed it." I scrambled away from him and he slowly stood up, but his back was to me, admiring my oak tree.
The one Johnny had planted for me a year ago...
Then, I remembered the song... Overboard. I remembered how that day played out in my head like a scene from your favorite movie. If only it could be a movie.
"You know, when I was just a lad, my father got sick. He died and my mother moved us to the States because Bradford reminded her too much of him. All I had was my mother, Waliyha, Doniya, and Safaa, my sisters. We had to start all over and it was damn hard. But I learned that I could never go back and start over. I couldn't change what had happened to me but every tomorrow was an opportunity for me to write my own ending." He turned to face me, his beautiful features now drenched with rain.
"You have to stop worrying about what you lost and think about what else is out there, Elysha. Life isn't easy... but it's the greatest adventure you'll ever be on."
"I'm not afraid to live my life. That isn't the problem. But on that ship that day, I lost my best friend. And even though I didn't want to be there, I was happy because he made me that way. Honestly, I think it's the being happy part I'm afraid because every time I'm happy, something always goes wrong." Tears ran down my face.
"You know what... I want to show you something." He said. The look in his eyes was determined. He grabbed my hand and took me around the front of the house, ignoring his wet clothes plastered to his skin. Even though I was crying, I couldn't help but admire the sculpt of his muscles, the rigid look to his handsome features, the tight way his hand held mine.
He opened the door to his car, and I got in, still as confused as I was when he first announced our little road trip.
"Where are we going?" I said quietly as he started the ignition. My neck developed goose bumps in response of my hair sticking to it. Zayn absently cranked up the heat.
"You'll see." We drove in silence for what seemed like hours. After a while, I stared out at the rain darkened sky. My mind seemed to drift away as I thought about the shapes in the clouds.
Flashback
"What do you see, Elysha." I had just had my first Little League practice and I didn't have many friends. I remember when Johnny had first came to talk to me and I got nervous and put him in a headlock.
"I don't know. It just looks like a giant S to me." He turned to face me, amusement clear in his face.
"An S? Really? You could have said a snake or something but all you could come up with was an S?" He smiled, enjoying me being uncomfortable.
"Yeah. They remind me of happy things." I smiled to myself, not paying attention that I was saying this to a dumb boy! Just a dumb boy who happened to be my friend.
"Like what? Skittles? Oh, look! A bumble bee!" He pointed up at the sky.
"Exactly like skittles." I smiled, wishing I had skittles at the moment.
"Then I'm gonna call you Skittles." He smiled, nudging me with his shoulder.
"If you call me Skittles, I'm calling you Bumble bee." He shook his head, laughing softly. I closed my eyes, letting the sun beat down on my face in our secret meadow. Our barren grassy field. While I was relaxing, his hand had found it's way to mine. I intertwined my short, fat fingers with his longer ones, glad that he had found me.
"Elysha." I snapped out of my flashback to look at Zayn's still damp face. "Come on. We're here." He got out and opened my door for me. The air was heavy with the rain that had broken the surface of the sky. "Close you eyes." I did as I was told and let him lead me to wherever he was taking me. "Take off your shoes but keep your eyes closed."
Good thing I've been putting on shoes for years. Otherwise, I'd have probably broken my ankle!
I stood up straight when I finished but when I felt cold water touch my toes, my heart beat sped up. I wanted to open my eyes but all I could see was Johnny drowning, Johnny calling my name, Johnny dying. And I did the only thing I could.
I screamed.
Not words either. My shriek was scary, bloodcurdling. But then again, that made sense because I'd seen my best friend die. I jumped back as if I'd been hit by lightning.
"No. I'm not going in there. Why did you bring me here?" I could feel my throat closing up. As my air supply got cut off, my vision splotched black. I couldn't breathe.
"I just want to help. Please. You have to overcome your fear." I took a deep breath, pushing the lump down in my throat. I looked deep into his eyes.
"You don't know shit. I don't need your help."
"The state says you do." He stared at me, clearly angry.
"With physical therapy! You're not some fucking psychologist! I don't need you to get in my head and try and repair what you think you know!" I grabbed my shoes and walked away, tears stinging my eyes.
"Elysha, wait!" He caught up to me, grabbing a hold of my arm. Before I knew what was happening, he'd pressed his lips to mine.
What... the... absolute... fuck?
I couldn't enjoy this... not while Johnny was fresh on my mind. So, I reached up and slapped the shit out of him.
"Huh?" I lifted up and realized I was sleeping... on Mr. Mali... er... Zayn's chest! "I'm so sorry! Did I fall asleep on our session?" I babbled, ignoring the rain.
"It's perfectly fine, love. You needed it." I scrambled away from him and he slowly stood up, but his back was to me, admiring my oak tree.
The one Johnny had planted for me a year ago...
Then, I remembered the song... Overboard. I remembered how that day played out in my head like a scene from your favorite movie. If only it could be a movie.
"You know, when I was just a lad, my father got sick. He died and my mother moved us to the States because Bradford reminded her too much of him. All I had was my mother, Waliyha, Doniya, and Safaa, my sisters. We had to start all over and it was damn hard. But I learned that I could never go back and start over. I couldn't change what had happened to me but every tomorrow was an opportunity for me to write my own ending." He turned to face me, his beautiful features now drenched with rain.
"You have to stop worrying about what you lost and think about what else is out there, Elysha. Life isn't easy... but it's the greatest adventure you'll ever be on."
"I'm not afraid to live my life. That isn't the problem. But on that ship that day, I lost my best friend. And even though I didn't want to be there, I was happy because he made me that way. Honestly, I think it's the being happy part I'm afraid because every time I'm happy, something always goes wrong." Tears ran down my face.
"You know what... I want to show you something." He said. The look in his eyes was determined. He grabbed my hand and took me around the front of the house, ignoring his wet clothes plastered to his skin. Even though I was crying, I couldn't help but admire the sculpt of his muscles, the rigid look to his handsome features, the tight way his hand held mine.
He opened the door to his car, and I got in, still as confused as I was when he first announced our little road trip.
"Where are we going?" I said quietly as he started the ignition. My neck developed goose bumps in response of my hair sticking to it. Zayn absently cranked up the heat.
"You'll see." We drove in silence for what seemed like hours. After a while, I stared out at the rain darkened sky. My mind seemed to drift away as I thought about the shapes in the clouds.
Flashback
"What do you see, Elysha." I had just had my first Little League practice and I didn't have many friends. I remember when Johnny had first came to talk to me and I got nervous and put him in a headlock.
"I don't know. It just looks like a giant S to me." He turned to face me, amusement clear in his face.
"An S? Really? You could have said a snake or something but all you could come up with was an S?" He smiled, enjoying me being uncomfortable.
"Yeah. They remind me of happy things." I smiled to myself, not paying attention that I was saying this to a dumb boy! Just a dumb boy who happened to be my friend.
"Like what? Skittles? Oh, look! A bumble bee!" He pointed up at the sky.
"Exactly like skittles." I smiled, wishing I had skittles at the moment.
"Then I'm gonna call you Skittles." He smiled, nudging me with his shoulder.
"If you call me Skittles, I'm calling you Bumble bee." He shook his head, laughing softly. I closed my eyes, letting the sun beat down on my face in our secret meadow. Our barren grassy field. While I was relaxing, his hand had found it's way to mine. I intertwined my short, fat fingers with his longer ones, glad that he had found me.
"Elysha." I snapped out of my flashback to look at Zayn's still damp face. "Come on. We're here." He got out and opened my door for me. The air was heavy with the rain that had broken the surface of the sky. "Close you eyes." I did as I was told and let him lead me to wherever he was taking me. "Take off your shoes but keep your eyes closed."
Good thing I've been putting on shoes for years. Otherwise, I'd have probably broken my ankle!
I stood up straight when I finished but when I felt cold water touch my toes, my heart beat sped up. I wanted to open my eyes but all I could see was Johnny drowning, Johnny calling my name, Johnny dying. And I did the only thing I could.
I screamed.
Not words either. My shriek was scary, bloodcurdling. But then again, that made sense because I'd seen my best friend die. I jumped back as if I'd been hit by lightning.
"No. I'm not going in there. Why did you bring me here?" I could feel my throat closing up. As my air supply got cut off, my vision splotched black. I couldn't breathe.
"I just want to help. Please. You have to overcome your fear." I took a deep breath, pushing the lump down in my throat. I looked deep into his eyes.
"You don't know shit. I don't need your help."
"The state says you do." He stared at me, clearly angry.
"With physical therapy! You're not some fucking psychologist! I don't need you to get in my head and try and repair what you think you know!" I grabbed my shoes and walked away, tears stinging my eyes.
"Elysha, wait!" He caught up to me, grabbing a hold of my arm. Before I knew what was happening, he'd pressed his lips to mine.
What... the... absolute... fuck?
I couldn't enjoy this... not while Johnny was fresh on my mind. So, I reached up and slapped the shit out of him.
Awwhh why thank you :)
10/21/13